EXPERTS on education, juvenile crimes and adolescent assistance are calling for the establishment of an adolescent assistance center for young vagrants in Shenzhen.

At a recent municipal work meeting, the experts described the critical situation faced by the city's young vagrants, which gives rise to juvenile crimes. They also pointed out that the present assistance center, where these children are currently living, cannot provide enough support to meet the children's educational and psychological needs.

"Although we set up a vagrant children support center in 2004, we still lack the facilities for children's growing up. A new assistance center dedicated to youngsters is in urgent need in Shenzhen," said Tang Rongsheng, head of the assistant center.

According to a report released at the meeting, the center helps around 2,000 vagrant children each year, accounting for only a small number of the total young vagrants in the city. Nearly 90 percent of these children are in poor physical condition, and many suffer from malnutrition, anemia, skin disease and mental illness.

Of those living in the center, 40 percent leave home due to poverty, another 30 percent are abducted and brought to Shenzhen, while the rest run away from home because of problems at home or at school. Many of the children are pressured by adults to commit crimes.

"If we do not invest on a juvenile assistance center, we might have to invest on a jail in the future. That will be a great tragedy for the society," said a speaker at the meeting.

The center has been trying to find vagrant children homes. Over the past two years, it has found homes for nearly 400 children.

Editor: Yan